How to Lose Weight Without Making it Obvious

You reach for a small slice of chocolate cake before you announce, "I'm just having a small piece because I am on a diet. " From then on, your life is complicated. You stop getting invites for dinner. Friends look at you funny when you decide to eat a piece of greasy pizza. The frustrating thing is that you are still losing weight and it's not a big deal.

It's almost as if it would have been easier if you just didn't say anything. You could have just lost weight quietly and then waited until everyone noticed.

I am currently on a weight loss path and I have only told two people - my mother and my sister - and that's how it's going to stay. I've watched my friends and family members publicly diet in the past and I know how frustrating and stressful it can be. This is why I am not telling people

• Stress. Once people know you are losing weight, you have to be on your game all the time or else you need to have conversations about your choices. It's just easier to lose weight without drawing attention to yourself.
• Ostracized. You may find that your friends and family may not even invite you out for drinks are a meal because they don't want to blow your diet. They mean well, but it can get lonely. If you don't tell them, you can just quietly make good choices while out with them rather than feeling lonely at home.
• Saboteurs. Some of your friends may even deliberately (or not so deliberately) try to get you to splurge. "Have a drink, have a chicken wing." They may convince you to the point where you give in, and then you don't end up losing any weight!

It's better to not say anything. That way you can live a life of balance and make the choices that you want to make in terms of diet and lifestyle. If people do notice that you are losing weight, thank them. If they ask you what you've been doing, just explain that you've been cleaning up your diet and exercising more. It doesn't even sound like a diet when you put it that way!

This is one of the best tools I know of that can help you lose weight. The very act of keeping track of your meals can help you lose weight. By logging your meals (no need to log calories, too) and everything you put in your mouth, you will be able to

• See if you have any triggers that cause you to overeat.
• Determine if you've been eating too much.
• Help you decide if your diet is healthy and balanced.
• Monitor your progress.
• Assess if your meals fall at good times or at irregular ones.

Keeping track of what you eat is crucial, but you should also go back through and not any patterns so that you can make adjustments. You may also want to log your water intake, your weight, and the time that you ate the meal.

I am sure this is obvious, but if you increase the amount of exercise you get and keep your calorie intake the same as it always was, you could definitely lose weight. Not only that, but if you work out at home, no one will even notice and you will be able to lose weight quietly.

So, what should you do? First of all, think about how much you already do. Then, next time you work out, simply add fifteen or thirty minutes. Or, you could schedule an additional workout for another time of day.

I like Jillian Michaels' workout DVD's the best because of how efficient they are. Not only that, but they are the only exercise programs on the market that actually make me sweat. She's so motivating I don't seem to apply myself otherwise.

Herbs can definitely help you lose weight without drawing attention to yourself because they can help speed up your efforts.

When I talk about herbal remedies for weight loss, I am not referring to gimmicky diet pills. As an herbalist, I am horrified by what's out on the market. I read the ingredients once to an acai cleans product that is out on the market and I found that the manufacturer's had put a very potent herbal laxative in it. So, you're losing weight - but it's because you would essentially have diarrhea. Gross.

I don't even like taking stimulant based diet aids because they can do a lot more harm than good - especially if your adrenal glands are overworked as it is. In fact, I've tried taking these before and they didn't work for me. I took a huge nap because the knocked me out - a sign that my adrenal glands couldn't handle the extra stimulation.

What I advocate is a much gentler approach. Rather than take these harsh and overly stimulating pills that are on the market, I prefer herbs that nourish the body and gently detox the system so that you can get rid of fat safely, gently, and effectively.

What follows are my suggestions. Note that all of these herbs can be eaten in salads, steamed, or cooked with. In my mind, that makes them fairly safe. But still you never know - you should still see a doctor.

• Chickweed. Stellaria Media . Herbalists have been using this herb for a long time for weight loss. People believe that it works because of the high lecithin content. Lecithin helps get rid of fat in the body.
• Stinging nettle. Urtica dioica. This is my favorite all time healing herb. It has a mild nourishing affect on the adrenal glands which can help the overall metabolism.
• Dandelion leaves. Taraxacum officinale. I like this plant for the gentle nudge it gives the digestion (due to its bitter flavor). It is also beneficial for the liver which will help aid the body in reducing toxins and even body fat. It's also an effective yet gentle diuretic which will help you drop water weight.

To make your life easy, I've included some products from Amazon that I approve of so that you can use these herbs in the best way. Of course, my favorite way overall is to consume them fresh, but since I haven't taught you how to identify them I don't recommend it at this time.

Also, please see a doctor before you take these herbs. For example, if you are on blood thinner medication, you may not be able to take any of these plants (especially Stinging Nettle because it is high in Vitamin K which causes the blood to clot).

Note - I found some videos for you to watch so you can learn how to forage the plants I mentioned, above.